Date:	Thursday 15 August 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Avro Lancaster B Mk III
Owner/operator:	1653 HCU RAF
Registration:	LM524
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF North Luffenham, Edith Weston, Oakham, Rutland -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF North Luffenham, Edith Weston, Oakham, Rutland
Destination airport:	RAF North Luffenham, Edith Weston, Oakham, Rutland

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B. Mk. III LM524, 1653 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit): Written off (damaged beyond repair) 15 August 1946 in a landing accident at RAF North Luffenham, Edith Weston, Oakham, Rutland

The Lancaster bounced heavily on an asymmetric (three engine) landing at RAF North Luffenham, and the pilot attempted to recover the situation by overshooting. However, the Lancaster failed to gain altitude and struck a Nissen hut with its starboard undercarriage, which broke off due to the force of the impact. The pilot then made an immediate 'straight ahead' belly landing, but the aircraft overran the runway and collided with trees

The Lancaster was a write off (struck off charge as Cat. E(FA) on 3-9-1946).

Crew:-
Pilot : Flight Lieutenant Harold Kenneth Baker RAF 164633 (NCO:1626924 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 20 June, 1944)
Flight Engineer : Warrant Officer J R Murfin RAF [Injured]
Navigator : Warrant Officer Belson RAF
Bomb Aimer : Sergeant Warren RAF
Wireless Operator : Flight Sergeant Barrow RAF
Mid-Upper Gunner : Sergeant J A Wollaston RAF [Injured]
Rear Gunner : Flight Sergeant G S Thomas RAF [Injured]

F/L Baker's commission was extended by one year, Gazetted 24th February 1953.

Lancaster LM524 was built by Avro at Yeadon, Yorkshire (to Contract Acft/1807); delivered 28-3-1944, and saw service with 635 Squadron as "F2-J", 1656 HCU as "BS-P", and 1653 HCU as "A3-G"

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946-1949 by Colin Cummings p.198
3. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.104: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
4. https://www.avro-lancaster.info/lm2series/LM524
5. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=LM524
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._230_Operational_Conversion_Unit_RAF
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_North_Luffenham#Post_war
8. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Jun-2023 15:39	Dr. John Smith	Added
07-Oct-2024 12:54	Rob Davis	Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ]